Van Zyl finds 10 strokes overnight, despite storm

ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) – South African Jaco van Zyl found the St Andrews conditions more to his liking despite having his second round interrupted by torrential rain on Friday, carding a 69 after an opening 79.

Van Zyl, who teed off at 6.32am local time with former British Open champion Mark Calcavecchia & Germany's Marcel Siem, had not even completed the first hole when the course was swamped by rain & organizers called a halt.

p> But when the 36-year-old returned three hours & 14 minutes after he gave himself some hope of making the cut depending on whether predicted high winds return after to suppress scoring.

"That first hole was fun, to say the least," Van Zyl, who is on four over par, told reporters. "(The) Good thing was it was down breeze, otherwise we'd still be out there.

"It cleared up nicely, by the time we received back to the back nine it was not too bad."

Asked what it had been like on the first, Van Zyl said: "All three of us hit on to the green for two, yet by the time we received there it was waterlogged & they couldn't squeegee it away."

Van Zyl fired six birdies, including one on the treacherous Road Hole 17th, yet marred his card with a bogey & a double.

American Calcavecchia ended on 11 over after a round of 75, yet another South African Thomas Aitken moreover managed a three-under 69, saying the early groups on Friday had a chance to make up ground after getting the thin edge of the wedge on Thursday.

"If (the wind) switches & really blows, the guys teeing off after this afternoon have to play the front nine into the wind," said Aitken, who is level par.